The Walloon Parliament , also called Parliament of the Walloon region in the Belgian Constitution, exerts legislative competences of the Walloon region. It emits Décret S having the force of law. It ratifies the treaties signed by the Walloon region or Belgium which requires its approval such as for example the European Constitutional treaty (TCE).

The building in which it sits, the old Saint-Gilles Old people's home, is located at Namur, capital of the Wallonia, near the Grognon. It is on left bank of the Meuse. Opposite, on Right Bank is the Élysette, seat of the Walloon Gouvernement.

Competences

The Walloon Parliament votes laws called decrees within the framework not of a hierarchy of the standards as in others Federal states, Switzerland for example, but within the framework of the principle of the Équipollence of the standards which puts on the same foot the Belgian federal laws and the Walloon decrees . These decrees are voted in the field of its Exclusive competences. As soon as a treaty signed by the Belgium relates to whole or part of these competences, the Walloon Parliament must ratify this treaty so that this one becomes operative. It was thus for example European Constitutional treaty, the exercise of competences of the federate States or federate entities Belgian being prolonged on the international scene.

History

The idea of a Walloon Parliament germinated for the first time at the Walloon Congress of 1912 with the proposal to create a Walloon Assemblée semi-officially, which meets besides regularly after the war. July 26th, 1950, Joseph Merlot declared that it was necessary to join together the General states of Wallonia, kind of assembly broader than a Parliament having to seize itself of all proposals possibly separatist vis-a-vis the maintenance of the king Léopold III with the capacity. This declaration was an important episode of the royal Question.

In September 1991 the President of the Socialist party Guy Spitaels wrote to the President Walloon Parliament (then still called " District council wallon"), to ask him to join together it for if required ignoring the refusal of the Belgian government to give its downstream to military exports. Before even as this meeting does not have place, the Belgian government had yielded on the principle of these exports, but this fact finally all the same full of consequences had the paces of a kind of coup d'etat.

Topicality

April 11th, 2006 is appeared with the Belgian Monitor a decree imposing the official name of the Walloon Parlement in the texts (even thing for the Walloon Gouvernement , etc). This law registers officially the made Walloon in the legislative texts with the more high level. In the same order of idea, another decree on standby, the decree “Wallonia”, would impose official name Wallonia instead of the " Wallonne" area; (To read the decree of May 4th, 2006). This whole of legislative signals to the address of the Belgian and international population devotes the idea of a serene Walloon assertion, the passage towards a Walloon assertivity of good quality in right and of use.

Anecdote

Characteristic in the Belgian landscape (and European in general): the provision of the assembly to English which was only allowed by the building. Opposition and majority face.

Structure and Composition

The Walloon Parliament is composed of 75 deputies elected with the direct universal uffrage at the time of the regional elections, every 5 years, the same day as the elections for the the European Parliament. The Walloon Parliament cannot be dissolved during the legislature. The first direct election goes back to June 1995, before that, the Parliament was called Walloon District council and was composed of the members of the Room of the Representatives and the Belgian senators elected in Walloon region.

Composition of the Parliament for the 3rd legislature 2004-2009:

  • Socialist party: 34 seats
  • Reforming Movement: 20 seats
  • Humanistic democratic center: 14 seats
  • Front National: 4 seats
  • Ecologist: 3 seats

List Walloon deputies

The current president of the Parliament is Jose Happart, (PS).

List former Walloon deputies

At June 3rd, 2007, this list comprises 326 former members.

External bonds

  • Official site of the Walloon Parliament
  • virtual Visit of the Walloon Parliament

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